Bulger Jury Continues Deliberations

BOSTON — — After watching some of the city's most notorious gangsters parade past them for weeks with accounts of grotesque murders, buried bodies and cold-blooded extortion, the eight men and four woman on the jury hearing mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's racketeering trial began deliberating Tuesday.

The jurors filed into the deliberation room at about 10:45 a.m. after an hour-and-a-half of instruction from U.S. District Judge Denise Casper on how to apply the law and evidence in the case to their deliberations. When there was no verdict at 4:35 p.m., Casper sent them home with instructions to return Wednesday.

Casper told the jurors it was their job to decide who, if anyone, to believe among the murders row at the center of the prosecution's case against Bulger. The three chief government witness – ex-Bulger partners Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi, John Martorano and Kevin Weeks - have admitted involvement in a combined 35 murders.

Their consumed most of closing arguments earlier in the week. Bulger's lawyers argued the three are liars delivering "tailored" testimony in exchange for cooperation deals and leniency. Prosecutors said the three witnesses were Bulger's closest associates and no different than he.

"You alone are the judges of a witness' credibility," Casper told the jurors.

Since opening arguments in the trial on June 12, the jury has heard testimony from 72 witnesses over 35 days. They carried with them into their deliberations, 840 exhibits, the last of which is a 7-page form they will use to help decide what the 83-year old Bulger may or may not be guilty of.

Bulger is charged with dozens of crimes in a 32-court racketeering indictment.

The government charges in the racketeering counts that Bulger and his partners in the South Boston-based Winter Hill gang were on murderous crime spree from 1972 to 2000. The purpose of the criminal activity, according to the indictment, was to expand the gang's influence and increase the millions of dollars it generated for the partners.

The indictment accuses Bulger 19 murders, in addition to dozens of other extortion, narcotics, firearms and money laundering offenses. Among other things, Bulger is accused of extorting payments from bookmakers, drug dealers and legitimate business people he is accused as well with collecting a half million dollars a week or more from his own narcotics distribution operation.

When delivering the government's closing argument Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak called Bulger "one of the most vicious, violent and calculating criminals who ever walked the streets of Boston."